Finally! Good pizza in Trumbull

There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to come out with it. While towns like Fairfield, Westport and Bridgeport are hot on the dining scene, Trumbull is a culinary wasteland. Looking for wonderful schools, lots of parks, the mall? Then Trumbull is your place. Looking for a great meal or even some decent takeout? Move along. Yes, the town has two or three popular restaurants, but no one specifically comes to Trumbull to go out to dinner. In fact, ask any Trumbullite and they’ll tell you they go to Monroe, Milford or Fairfield when they want to dine out.

When I heard that a new pizza place opened last weekend in Trumbull, I frankly didn’t have high hopes. I figured it was yet another mediocre take-out joint. But Mr. EatDrink felt like talking a walk one night and the new restaurant seemed like a good excuse to get out.

Madison Pizza (4235 Madison Ave.) is located next to Best Edibles and across from P.J.’s Garden Exchange. There’s a small dining area with about six tables, but business is largely take-out. The menu includes appetizers liked Fried Calamari ($7.99), Chicken Tenders ($6.99) and Spinach and Artichoke Dip ($7.99). There are soups, a variety of salads, calzones and pizzas. Some of the more interesting pizza choices include a Seafood Pizza (with shrimp, clams, scallops, fresh garlic and mozzarella), Philly Steak (steak with onions, peppers and mozzarella) and Hawaiian (imported ham with pineapple and mozzarella). Entrees include staples like Chicken Parmigiana ($13.99), Eggplant Rollatini ($13.99) and Penne alla Vodka ($10.99).

We ordered a garden salad, a pepperoni pizza and a Madison Ave pizza, which had arugula, prosciutto de parma, fontina and mozzarella with infused roasted garlic olive oil. The salad was large and fresh, with a good mix of greens, vegetables and olives, and the house balsamic dressing was smooth with just enough tartness. My son gave the pepperoni pizza a thumb’s up (which, believe me, is high praise). As for the Madison Ave. pizza, it was excellent. The prosciutto was paper thin and was draped upon piles of fresh arugula. The crust was thin, crisp and sweet. I can’t tell you how happy I was to find thin pizza in Trumbull.

The restaurant is owned by a local family. They’re admittedly still ironing out some of the kinks (delivery has been tricky, but they’re working on that). I think the town is just so desperate for something new that Madison Pizza has been inundated with hungry locals. Fortunately, they’re coming away satisfied. We can only hope that this is the start of a new culinary trend in Trumbull.